Cole bent his head and kissed her. Hard. Hungry. Hot. Meaning it.
Maia stared up at him a long moment, the only sound their mingled breathing. She felt her heart stuttering hard in her chest. Little butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She was falling hard. Fast. She didn’t even know if Cole was capable of loving her. It was frightening to think how much she cared when she didn’t have the slightest idea of his real feelings. Needing space, she scooped up a handful of snow and plastered it against the side of his head. “Cool off, Slick, we’re hunting for a tree.”
Cole studied her face, the way she suddenly withdrew from him. He had to let her go, with Jase standing over them, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to hold her to him. Instead, he made himself wipe at the wet snow trickling down his face. He raised his eyebrow. “You take all the fun out of things.”
“I do my best.” She shoved at his chest. “And we’re getting that tree today. All the kisses in the world aren’t going to change my mind.”
Cole got to his feet, pulling Maia up with him. Jase sat in the snow staring at them as if they’d both grown new heads. “You going to sit there all day?” Cole asked.
“I just might,” Jase said, and took the hand Cole extended to help him up. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Cole resisted the urge to drop him back in the snow.
Jase moved ahead of them, bounding like a frisky colt through the snow to the garage housing the snowmobiles. Cole paused just outside the door, staring up at the second garage looming taller right alongside the first building.
“What is it?” Maia asked.
“I don’t know exactly.” But he suddenly wished he were alone, able to conduct an investigation.
“What’s in there?”
“The helicopter and a small plane.”
“Really? You have your own helicopter? Do you fly it?”
“Yes. I can fly both the plane and the helicopter. I was in the service for a while. It was the best way to get away from the ranch and have enough money to live. The old man could have destroyed or bought any company I chose to work for, but he couldn’t exactly make the Air Force disappear.”
“The things I’m learning about you are fascinating.” She took a step toward the larger garage but stopped when Cole put a hand on her shoulder. He was looking around the countryside, his eyes flat and hard and ice-cold. She froze, taking her cue from him.
Cole caught the brief glint of light reflected from a ridge up above the house. He didn’t make the mistake of staring into it, but a chill went down his back. It could have been a scope, but more likely it was binoculars. Deliberately he glanced up at the sky. “We’d better find that tree before the next storm hits.”
Jase eagerly shoved open the garage doors to reveal several snowmobiles. “Come on, Doc, I’ll race you!”
Maia felt Cole’s hand on her shoulder guiding her toward the snowmobiles so she went with him. “What is it?”
Cole was grateful she was always so alert and kept her voice low. She never seemed to panic. “I don’t know yet. All these strange things the animals have been showing you, the things you’ve described to me, do you believe they’re trying to convey something to you?”
“Absolutely,” Maia said firmly.
“Keep Jase occupied for a few minutes.”
“Don’t do anything crazy.”
Cole slipped into the shadows of the building, encouraging Jase and Maia to follow him inside. If someone were lying up along the ridge with a scope or binoculars, they wouldn’t be able to see him go through the door of the covered walkway leading back to the house.
“I forgot something, Jase. We need a couple of tools. You check out the snowmobiles, make certain we have plenty of gas and they’re running fine, while I go back and get what we need.”
“Sure,” Jase agreed.
Maia was silent, watching him with fear in her eyes. He couldn’t help brushing a brief, reassuring kiss over her mouth as he passed by her. “Keep him in the garage,” he whispered as he moved into the walkway.
He sprinted along the covered path, forced to take a roundabout route to keep from exposing himself to the ridge, but he made it back to the house certain he hadn’t been spotted. Up in his room, he retrieved a rifle with a scope and binoculars. With the white sheet wrapped around him, he scooted on his belly onto the balcony, rolling into position.